Kobe 1907 - "The 'Ceremonial Tea' Observance in Japan"
A woman in a tea ceremony—from a photo book about the Japanese tea ceremony published in 1907 (Meiji 40). This article reproduces the book.
The “Ceremonial Tea” Observance in Japan was published by Japanese photographers Kozaburo Tamamura and Teijiro Takagi. It features 14 collotype photos illustrating how a tea ceremony—known as sadō or chadō (茶道) in Japanese—was performed in the 1900s.
Each photo is accompanied by a brief description. There is an additional photo in the book showing an exhibition of ikebana, which has not been reproduced here.
From Male to Female
First, a little background. The tea ceremony as it is practiced today was developed during the 1500s.1 Various sadō schools were formed featuring male tea masters financially supported by feudal lords. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868 this support fell away and the tea ceremony was gradually turned into an art for women, offering them the opportunity to earn a living as instructors.2
Sadō requires a special room, or even a separate building, and has therefore long been a pastime for people who had the financial wherewithal to afford such luxuries. Even in the late 1800s, decades after the Meiji Restoration, it was out of the reach of the 60 percent of the Japanese population that was poor.3 It would have been the same for the majority of the people in the middle classes.
In other words, the tea ceremony was exclusive to a small segment of the Japanese population. Although people could encounter the tea ceremony at Buddhist temples, during the Edo (1603–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods most Japanese never experienced it. The photos in The “Ceremonial Tea” Observance in Japan would have appeared as exotic to them as they did to the foreigners who purchased the book.
When this photo book was published in 1907, this situation was slowly starting to change. The tea ceremony was being taught at girls’ high schools (高等女学校, koto jogakko) and Japan’s new business leaders started to embrace the ceremony as a cultural and intellectual pursuit. An especially well-known businessman that practiced sadō was Kōnosuke Matsushita (松下幸之助, 1894–1989), the founder of Panasonic. He later donated many tea rooms.
The ceremony was starting to attract interest outside Japan as well. Tamamura and Takagi actually created their photo book for foreigners the very year after Japanese scholar and art critic Kakuzō Okakura (岡倉覚三, 1863–1913) published his influential The Book of Tea.
Written in English, it has been described as “the earliest lucid English-language account of Zen Buddhism and its relation to the arts”.4 Okakura called the tea ceremony a “religion of the art of life”.5
Tea with us became more than an idealisation of the form of drinking; it is a religion of the art of life. The beverage grew to be an excuse for the worship of purity and refinement, a sacred function at which the host and guest joined to produce for that occasion the utmost beatitude of the mundane.
Kakuzō Okakura, The Book of Tea (1906), 43
These changes culminated with a boom in the popularity of the Japanese tea ceremony after the end of the Second World War in 1945 (Showa 20). The tea ceremony schools attracted a growing number of students during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth.
In the late Showa period (1926–1989), several important collections of tea ceremony masters were acquired by art museums, while the publishing industry put out an increasing number of books about sadō. The growing number of students, and the interest by museums and publishers led to the tea ceremony being widely recognized as a cultured hobby, which in turn fanned its popularity.6 At its height there were some 5 million practitioners. Japanese tea ceremony schools even expanded abroad.
Interestingly, what had once been an exclusively male preserve was now dominated by women—80 percent of the practitioners were female.
The boom did not last long. Interest in the Japanese tea ceremony in Japan has greatly declined over the past two decades, and the number of tea rooms and tea ceremony masters has been decreasing.
Over 66 percent of the Japanese population has never experienced a tea ceremony, according to a study published in 2020 (Reiwa 2) by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs.7 A survey in 2021 found that only 0.8 percent of the Japanese participated in Japanese tea ceremony activities, down from 2.4 percent in 1996.8
The Japanese government has been trying to rekindle interest. “Respect for Japanese tradition and culture” (伝統と文化を尊重) was included in curriculum guidelines for elementary and junior high schools in 2017 (Heisei 29).
Especially Kyoto Prefecture is active in this regard. It has created the “Traditional Culture Program for High School Students” (高校生伝統文化事業) in which high schools in the prefecture offer hands-on tea ceremony classes. Additionally, since 2019 (Reiwa 1) some 32 municipal elementary schools in Kyoto City have been offering tea ceremony classes to their students.9
Early 20th Century
Let’s return to the time that the photo book was published. In Home life in Tokyo (1910), Japanese author Jukichi Inouye gives a detailed description of the custom as practiced at the time that these photographs were taken. He subtly emphasizes that it was a custom of Japan’s “cultured” upper classes.
Especially fascinating is how Inouye matter-of-factly introduces the host and guests as male, but already mentions how women are being introduced to the art at school. This foreshadows the important role women play today in sadō and the art’s democratization after the end of WWII:10
The tea-ceremony is, perhaps, the strictest and most complicated of all the ceremonies with which the cultured Japanese used to surround himself. The ceremony, when carried out in full, is very intricate; but it may be briefly described as follows: — First, the guests who arrive on the appointed day are shown into the waiting-room and when they are all assembled, they are conducted into the tea-room. This room should properly be a building by itself, and the commonest size is nine feet square, that is, one of four mats and a half, the half-mat being in the centre. The maximum number of guests is five, four of whom sit in a row and the fifth at right angles to the rest. The host faces the row; he brings in the tea-utensils and sets them in order. The guests are first regaled with a slight repast; and when it is over, they are requested to retire into the waiting-room, while the host puts away the trays and plates and sweeps the room.
They are then called in again. A small quantity of powdered tea is put into the tea-bowl which is used on these occasions, and hot water is poured into it and stirred with a bamboo-whisk until it is quite frothy. The bowl is handed to the guest at the head of the row; he takes three sips and a half, the fourth sip being called half a sip as it is much slighter than the first three, and after wiping the brim carefully, he passes it on to his neighbour, who also sips and hands the bowl to the third guest, and so on to the fifth guest, who returns it empty to the host.
After this loving-cup, the host stirs a bowl for each of his guests, that is, he makes tea in the bowl for the first guest, who drains it in three sips and a half and returns it to the host, who then washes it and makes a fresh bowl of tea for the second guest, and so on until the last guest is served. As this process takes a long time on account of the formalities which have to be observed in making, serving, and drinking the beverage, sometimes two bowls are used so that while one guest is drinking and admiring a bowl, the host can be making the other for the next. The tea in the loving-cup is stronger than that in the others.
Jukichi Inouye, Home Life in Tokyo (1911), 259–260
Although the basic procedures were simple; the strict formalities and rules challenged practitioners, writes Inouye:11
The bare procedure is simple; but the complexity lies in the hard and fast rules to be observed in the arrangement of the room, and respecting the utensils to be used, the manner in which they should be handled in making tea, the way in which the tea should be drunk, the number and style of bows and salutations to be made in offering, receiving, and returning the bowls, and also in the instructions as to when and how the bowls and other articles in the room are to be taken up and admired, and the manner of expressing such admiration and of replying thereto. The formalities are as strict as court ceremony and are often irksome to the beginner who is nervous and afraid of exposing himself at every step.
The description above given refers to the formal process as practised by one of the schools of the ceremony, which can be followed only in a family which can afford to build a separate tearoom for the purpose. But the ceremony need not always be so exacting. The general principles, such as the making, offering, and drinking of powdered tea and the courtesies accompanying it, are now taught in most girls’ schools, because the knowledge of the ceremony certainly adds to their grace and imparts to them that quiet, stately bearing which characterises the Japanese lady of culture. Indeed, this calm, sedate gracefulness is the result of the study of the tea-ceremony and is assuredly a more valuable acquisition than the knowledge of the formalities themselves.
Jukichi Inouye, Home Life in Tokyo (1911), 260–261
The book has been reproduced below with the original captions in italics. The titles, and non-italic explanatory notes, are mine.
The “Ceremonial Tea” Observance in Japan
1. The Hostess Arrives
The invited guests are awaiting, in the waiting room, the approach of the hostess. The waiting house is not an ordinary structure; it is especially designed for the purpose, as is also the tea room, and even the dimensions and decorations are strictly limited in size. Of all high class native functions the “Ceremonial Tea” is of the most formal and strictest order.
2. Greetings
The hostess appears and graciously pays homage to her visitors, the latter paying their respects. The guests are invited to adjourn to the tea-room. As a rule, the tea-house is also a separate structure, and in no way connected with the dwelling itself.
3. Temizu (手水) — Washing the Hands
An unwritten law demands that visitors should wash their hands before entering the tea-room.
4. Entering the Tea-Room
A guest, after entering the tea-room, is expected to place her footwear (zori) in a neat position. (Note with what care she performs this custom.)
5. Admiring the Decorations
As a first compliment to the hostess, each visitor in turn is expected to (or pretend to) admire the Kakemono (the pictures).
6. Entrance of the Hostess
With much pomp the hostess enters the tea-room, bringing the necessary articles to produce “the cup that cheers.” Actually, she performs the work of an upper-servant as a graceful compliment to her guests.
7. Firing the Stove
The mistress makes the fire, by placing the charcoal (Sumi) in the firebox. The Hibachi (firebox) for this purpose has a draught hole near the bottom, and thus the smokeless fuel burns rapidly. The finest quality of charcoal is used, of course.
8. Sweets
While the fire is burning, the lady presents cake(s) to her friends.
9. Preparing the Tea
Preparing the tea, a task requiring the greatest skill and judgment. The essence of formality rules and governs each and every action.
10. Passing the Tea
Each guest receives the tea with a grave and silent demeanour, the etiquette thereto being difficult to illustrate, either by pen or verbally.
11. Praise
It is considered “good form” for the guests to praise the beauty of the tea-set, more especially so if the porcelain be of an ancient origin; this subject forms the principal “small talk” for the occasion; thus one needs to be somewhat of a curio connoisseur for one’s opinions to be respected.
12. Dinner
Tea being disposed of, the guests are entertained to dinner. Formal ceremony is dispensed with.
13. Chadogu (茶道具, Tea Ceremony Utensils)
The various utensils necessary to the dispensing of “Ceremonial Tea.”
Kensui (建水) — Holds the water that was used to rinse the tea bowl. It is kept out of sight of the guests as much as possible.
Fukusa (袱紗) — Used to cleanse the tea whisk and other tea utensils. Generally, purple fukusa are for men and vermilion ones for women. They measure 27.5 cm in length and 28.4 cm in width.
Mizusashi (水指) — Jug with fresh water for replenishing the water in the kama (kettle) and rinsing bowls.
Chasen (茶筅) — A bamboo whisk for mixing matcha and hot water in a tea bowl. It is hand-carved from a single piece of bamboo. There are various styles of chasen using different types of bamboo and shapes. Generally, chasen with rough ears are used for koicha (濃茶, thick tea like a dense cream) and chasen with fine ears for usucha (薄茶, thin tea).
Hishaku (柄杓) — The ladle used for drawing water from a kettle or jug.
Natsume (棗) — This small round container stores matcha (抹茶, powdered green tea). This is generally usucha, the most common type of matcha. Natsume have various colors and shapes.
Chagama (茶釜) — An iron kettle for boiling water. Size and shape varies.
Fūro (風炉) — A portable stove used during the summer. It was generally fired with top quality charcoal. These days, electric heat elements are used too.
14. Ikebana
A pastime: The art of skillfully and delicately arranging cut flowers, by the party. This art needs to be one of the accomplishments of a Japanese lady, and there are instructors who gain a livelihood entirely to the occupation of teaching indoor floral art.
Wagashi
As image number 8 showed, the tea ceremony is not complete without Japanese sweets, wagashi. The following video clip introduces Jōnamagashi (上生菓子), finely crafted wagashi from the city of Kanazawa that are little pieces of art.
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Who Took the Photos?
The “Ceremonial Tea” Observance in Japan was initially jointly published by Japanese photographers Kozaburo Tamamura and Teijiro Takagi. So it is not fully clear whether the photographs are by Tamamura or Takagi. However, the book featured only Takagi’s address in the colophon, and he later continued publishing it exclusively under his own name. Therefore, the photographs are believed to be his.
Read more detailed information about photographer Teijiro Takagi.
Notes
For detailed information about the Japanese tea ceremony visit The Japanese Tea Ceremony.
The tea ceremony as we know it today was greatly influenced by Sen no Rikyu (千利休, 1522–1591), the tea master for the powerful daimyō (feudal lord) Oda Nobunaga (織田信長, 1534–1582) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉, 1537–1598).
令和 2 年度 「生活文化調査研究事業(茶道)」文化庁地域文化創生本部事務局. Retrieved on 2023-09-18.
The Meiji scholar Maeda Masana estimated in 1883 that 57 percent of all Japanese were in the lower classes. See Huffman, James L. (2018). Down and Out in Late Meiji Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 272.
Huffman, James L. (2018). Poverty in Late Meiji Japan: It Mattered Where You Lived. The Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved on 2023-09-18.
Japonism, Orientalism, Modernism: A Bibliography of Japan in English-language Verse of the Early 20th Century. D. Sources of Influence and Transmission, 16 Okakura, Kakuzô. Works 1903~06. themargins.net. Retrieved on 2023-09-18.
Okakura, Kakuzō (1906). The Book of Tea. New York, Duffield & Company, 43.
令和 2 年度 「生活文化調査研究事業(茶道)」文化庁地域文化創生本部事務局, 7. Retrieved on 2023-09-18.
ibid, 80.
Participation rate in Japanese tea ceremony (sado) activities in Japan from 1996 to 2021. Statista. Retrieved on 2023-09-14.
According to the website of Urasenke (裏千家), one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony, overseas practitioners of the tea ceremony are increasing. Currently, there are some 120 Urasenke locations in about 37 countries.
令和 2 年度 「生活文化調査研究事業(茶道)」文化庁地域文化創生本部事務局, 26–27. Retrieved on 2023-09-18.
Inouye, Jukichi (1911). Home Life in Tokyo. The Tokyo Printing Company, Ltd., 259–260.
ibid, 260–261.
What a delightful read! Thanks for "saving" this piece of history and sharing it with us ☺️
Incredible post - thanks for assembling.